China considering halting trade talks with US - report

EPA-EFE / WU HONG

China is thinking about declining the offer for further trade talks with the United States government after a Wall Street Journal piece claimed US President Donald Trump planned to announce new tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, media reported. Beijing is willing to try to resolve the trade dispute, an official close to the matter told the WSJ on Sunday, but refuses to be threatened.

Washington has to "show sincerity" in their willingness to resolve the dispute, Yang Weimin, a former senior economic adviser to President Xi Jinping, said. According to the report, some Chinese officials suggested limiting the sale of crucial materials to US manufacturers in addition to the retaliatory tariffs.

Earlier this week, it was reported Washington proposed a new round of trade talks with Beijing. Senior administration officials, including US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, sent an invitation to their Chinese counterparts proposing fresh discussions on trade in the coming weeks.